re: Review: 1st-gen Mahindra Thar (2011 - 2019) Dear Fellow_BHPians,
I respect your opinion regarding the Mahindra Thar.
Most of the members posting in this thread have way more knowledge/experience than me about the automotive/technical aspects of the vehicle than I do. Most of your greviances are probably justified as far as the material comforts regarding the Thar go.
My humble submission is, how many of you have driven the Thar for an extended period of time (TD's don't count)?
I know, you might say, we don't need to drive the Thar for an extended period of time and that going by the feedback (mostly hearsay) and also some very minor initial niggles with owners such as me not to mention the AC installment issues, Thar is a flop and that M&M need to seriously introspect on the product that they have launched, a product that was eagerly awaited by many in India.
I know where everybody is coming from. Given the anxious waiting period and the speculations doing the rounds regarding the Thar, when it was finally 'unleashed', most thought it was a damp squib! Was it really?
I absolutely agree that a HT & an AC should have been an option in the Thar. As of now, AC can be installed as per BD Sir's post and a hard top is still an issue.
Now I will get to the nitty gritties.
My 'two cents' (popular Team-BHP lingo) - I don't know how corporates work. But it seems the corporate world is also inflicted by myopic thinking and petty egos. Sometimes, very trivial (but detrimental) issues become a rallying point that snowballs into a great product that had the potential to be a success, not attaining its full potential and thereby, probably suffering failure.
If you ask me, this is exactly what is happening to the Thar. A great product (with shortcomings that are easily rectifiable) not getting the support of the company at all.
Example, AC installation. BD Sir has posted a well informed thread on how to go about it. If you ask the local M&M dealership today regarding the same, they will tell you that they have no information about any AC in the Thar! When I provide the concerned person at the dealership with the information provided by BD Sir regarding the installation of the AC, they requested for some time to get things in order.
Later on, I get a call telling me that AC kits for the Thar are not available from M&M and that the dealership had no idea when it would be available.
This can mean only two things. Firstly, either M&M have a supply chain issue. Secondly, there are people within M&M who are proving to be an impediment for the Thar to be a success. I strongly lean towards the latter theory.
Friends, please drive the Thar for a couple of days and then you would know what it is all about. Bad interiors, lack of AC and a HT option are a given. But tell me, how many of my 'Jeeper' friends can sincerely boast of a Jeep capable of being driven without a hitch across India? Highway cruising (due to IFS) is a dream. Serious off-roaders will argue about the lack of articulation and the vulnerability of the IFS is a serious set back. My argument - Thar can best be described as being a combination of a true-blue tarmac mile-muncher and a very serious off-roader. Some compromises have to be made to make it a solid all-terrain vehicle. Exactly what BD Sir and his team have done.
I am no expert. I drive a vehicle and form an opinion. I have driven the Thar for almost 5K (4 trips to the hills & two off-roading trips) and have never found the Thar wanting in any way. It is due for its first service, but I can sense that the engine now is more refined than when I bought the Thar home. It is a sublime ride that gives me immense pleasure everytime I drive it.
So, I would sincerely request all my fellow BHP-ians to atleast have a first hand experience with the vehicle before trashing it completely. I am sure after an extended period of usage, most of you will change your opinion regarding the Thar.
For people like me, who do not have the expertise or the knowledge to restore Jeeps, Thar is a Godsend. Enjoy it for what it is, and don't fret for what it could have been.
Maybe newer versions of the Thar are already on their way (AC & HT), who knows. But I still believe, the Thar is aeons ahead technology wise (LSD/Lockable Differentials aside) than most of the Jeeps available in the market today and one can be assured of a headache free ride all the time. How many can sincerely vouch the same for their rebuilt Jeeps?
I will be attending the AKC & the EXAMM this time. I will be driving down to Pune from Chandigarh in my Thar. I have no trepidation regarding my trip because I know the Thar is more than capable of doing this and my mind is at ease.
Here is looking forward to meeting all you fantastic BHPians then and I sincerely hope that you take my post in good spirit and be assured that I had no intention of offending anyone's opinion or judgement.
Warm regards.
Last edited by Jaggu : 4th May 2011 at 11:29.
Reason: Paragraph with space helps. Readability issue. Thanks
|